"Sherwood Smith - Mom and Dad" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Sherwood)

тАЬOf course not!тАЭ I whispered back. тАЬShe'd have woken up, andтАФтАЭ

тАЬAnd what?тАЭ he prompted.

I sighed, too tired to think. тАЬAnd would have been mad at me.тАЭ

тАЬMad?тАЭ Rick repeated, his whisper rising almost to a squeak. тАЬEarth to MaryтАФweare the parents.They
are the kids. We're supposed to keep them safe. How can we do it if they aregoing off the planet
every night ?тАЭ

I slipped back into Alisha's room. She had rolled over, and the wand had fallen off the mattress onto her
blue fuzzy rug.

I bent, my heart thumping so loud I was afraid she'd hear it, closed my fingers round the wand, and
tiptoed out.
****

тАЬHmm.тАЭ Rick waved it back and forth. It whistledтАФjust like any stick you wave in the airтАФbut no magic
sparks came out, no lights, no mysterious hums.

тАЬThis has got to be how they get away,тАЭ Rick murmured, holding the want up to his nose and sniffing.
тАЬHuh. Smells like coriander, if anything.тАЭ

тАЬExcept how did they get away the first time?тАЭ

тАЬGood question.тАЭ

I felt my shoulders hunch, a lifetime habit of bracing against worry.

Rick grimaced. тАЬI know what you're thinking, and I'm thinking it too, but maybe it's okay. Maybe the
other world isn't a twisted disaster like ours.тАЭ

тАЬButтАФwhyour kids?тАЭ

Rick shrugged, waving the wand in a circle. тАЬFound by a kid from another world? Some kid who knows
magic, maybe?тАЭ His voice suspended, and he gave me a sort of grinning wince. тАЬKid magician?тАЭ He
laughed, the weak, unfunny laugh that expresses pain more than joy. тАЬListen to me! Say those words to
any other adult, and he'll dial 1-800-NUTHOUSE.тАЭ

I gripped my hands together, thinking of my kids, and safety. I said, тАЬTouch it on me.тАЭ

тАЬWhat?тАЭ Rick stared.

тАЬGo ahead. If it sends me where they goтАФтАЭ

Rick rubbed his eyes. тАЬI'm still having trouble with the concept. Right. Of course. But we'll go together.тАЭ
His clammy left hand closed round my equally damp fingers, and with his right he tapped us both on our
heads.
Nothing happened.